Percy Jackson & Harry Potter:The Second Generation
by xx booklova xx
Summary: Percy and Annabeth think being demigods is as wierd as wierd can get, but they soon change their minds when Lily Luna Potter, a witch, saves them from a Dementor attack. The Dark Creatures are awakening. Why? It's up to the three of them to find out. R&R!
1. A Witch Saves My Life

**CHAPTER 1**

Despair. I was sinking into a well of despair. Every awful thing that had happened to in my life, every lonely moment I had lived through, all the sorrow and despair I had ever felt flashed before my eyes. I felt like there was absolutely no point of my life. And, at the same time, every good feeling, every happy memory was being sucked out of me. I glanced up as I heard a soft _swish_, but it was more out of habit than interest. The monster – or at least that's what I thought it was – still stood there, not moving at all. It made rasping sounds as it breathed as though trying to suck up all the oxygen there was.

A slight breeze made the bottom of its tattered black robe flutter open slightly. It struck me odd that even beneath the robes, I couldn't see anything else, just more black. Darkness… The anguish overwhelmed me again, and I sagged against the brick wall behind me and slid to the ground, still staring at the thing. I was freezing cold; it felt like the temperature had dropped 20 degrees at least. I shivered. The creature seemed to give off iciness.

It didn't move even slightly, didn't make any sign of hostility or give any indication of attacking us. But it didn't need to. Just the awful being's presence was enough to make me want to put a gun at my head and pull the trigger. Or, since a gun was unavailable, I would use Percy's sword. Percy. I glanced over in his direction and saw that he too was slumped against the wall, his head in his hands, his will to live gone. Somehow, I don't even know how it was possible, seeing Percy like that made me feel even worse. My gaze returned to the tall figure robed in black.

The creature had a human-like shape and it was approximately three meters high. It was covered from head to toe in a dark hooded cloak of long, ripped cloth. The creature's face had nothing but a large hole where the mouth should be. It was the foulest, most disturbing thing I had ever seen; and that was saying a lot. Looking at the monster made me _wish_ for death. And who knows what I might have done, if a loud cry hadn't snapped me out of the stupor I was in?

"_Expecto Patronum_!"

Surprised, I tore my gaze from the monster in time to see something explode out of what seemed like thin air. I blinked in astonishment and tried to figure out what the creature was. It was silvery and it seemed ethereal, magical. A silvery, ethereal, magical… _cat?_ What? It seemed to radiate silver light. It was coming toward the other creature; and it seemed to have an immediate effect on it. The monster began to shuffle uneasily and back away. I had no idea why, but I could guess. If the monster was a creature of darkness, then this animal was pure light. In a few seconds, the monster had completely melted into the darkness. The shimmering cat also faded when the monster had disappeared.

For a few seconds, I stared at the spot where the monster had been standing, unable to believe that it was really gone. Feeling physically and emotionally drained, I put my head between my knees and tried to steady my breathing.

"Why," a voice from above me demanded imperiously, "on _earth_ was a Dementor after you two?"

I looked up wearily, too tired to feel suspicious, and saw a slim girl standing in front of me with a hand on her hip. She seemed to be addressing me, but I had no idea what she was talking about. The girl spoke with a strong British accent, so, really, I didn't even know if I'd heard her right.

"A what? A Demento?" I asked, glancing at Percy. He was staring at the girl, the expression on his face perplexed.

"A Dementor," the girl sighed, as though it was so obvious and we were stupid for not realizing it.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," I answered, wishing this girl would just go away. I felt like I could sleep for a century.

"What?" she gave me a calculating look, and I stared back at her.

"Well," she said, sounding unsure, "I suppose you might be Muggles after all. But that doesn't make sense then…"

"Wait, what are Muggles?" Percy spoke for the first time.

"Muggles? Oh, humans," she answered, still lost in thought.

"Wait," I said, realizing suddenly. "Yeah, well, you're right about that. We aren't human – or at least, not fully human."

"Annabeth," Percy said sharply, but I looked at him and tried to tell him with my eyes that I knew what I was doing. This girl was clearly not human either.

"So what – I mean, _who_ are you?" she asked, confused.

Ahem. Yea, about that… Now how do you explain to someone that you're the daughter of an old and powerful goddess, who's only a legend to most people? Oh, I might as well.

"My name is Annabeth, and I am the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom; and this is Percy, son of Poseidon, god of the sea," I said, then took a deep breath and watched her reaction.

"Poseidon? Athena? Those mythical Greek gods?"

"Well, yes," I replied, hesitantly. _Except for the mythical part._

"You mean like in _Hercules_, that Disney movie?" she scoffed.

"Uh, no," I answered, "Not exactly. We're demigods."

She laughed.

What was this girl's problem, anyway? "Well, what are _you_ then?" I challenged.

"I'm a witch," she said confidently.

"Like in the Wizard of Oz, that classic?" I managed to ask, but I really was surprised. I mean, wizards and witches weren't real, right? But then, I thought, that's exactly what she must be thinking, and decided that she just might be telling the truth.

She gave me a dirty look.

"What's your name?" Percy asked.

"Lily. Lily Luna Potter," she said, but she pronounced Potter like _Po-tter;_ like it was a name of significance or something.

"Why are you here? Aren't you British?" I asked. Yeah, it sounded rude, but I really didn't like this girl. ANd she had a really wierd name. I mean , Lily Luna?

"That's none of your business. Oh, and you're _welcome_," she said snidely.

"Excuse me? What; you were expecting me to thank you or something?" I asked her, "For _what_?"

"Saving your life, to begin with," she answered, and Percy and I both stared at her. "Who do you _think _made that Patronus?"

"You're the one who made that animal that killed the… uh… the… Dementor?" I asked, astonished.

"Yes." She tossed her long black hair back from her face and looked down at me, arrogantly. "It's a very complex spell by the way. The only person younger than me who ever managed it was my dad; Harry Potter."

"I didn't ask," I replied, rolling my eyes, but I couldn't help but ask; "How does that work by the way?"

"The Patronus?"

"Yea," I replied.

Lily narrowed her eyes, probably wondering whether she should share that information with me or not. "Well," she began. She probably thought the chance to show off was too good to miss. "A Dementor is a Dark creature, one of the foulest to live in the world. Dementors feed off human happiness, so they cause depression and despair to anyone near them. They can also consume a person's soul, leaving their victims an empty shell, with no soul. It is a state worse – much worse – than the most horrible death you could imagine," Lily shuddered and took a deep breath before she continued.

I was revolted, and yet fascinated. She continued; "One of the few ways to protect yourself from Dementors is by using the difficult Patronus Charm to fend them off. The charm basically summons a Patronus, the magical sign of good will and happiness, providing protection against the Dementors' influence. The more powerful the witch or wizard is, the more powerful the patronus is, naturally. Only when summoned by an experienced wizard will the Patronus take the form of an animal significant in some way to the person."

Me and Percy were listening raptly. She had our whole attention. Clearly relishing the spotlight, she continued dramatically. "Like me, for example. I love cats; so my Patronus is a cat. The stronger Patronuses chase down Dementors and force them to flee the area. Which is what I did. A weak Patronus only slows a Dementor down."

"Oh, wow," Percy said.

"And, thanks to the two of you, my mum is now going to kill me," she said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Oh, oops, sorry. She doesn't like it when you save people's lives?" Percy asked.

"No, stupid," she said rolling her eyes, "We're not supposed to use magic in the Muggle world."

"Oh, I see…"

"But something doesn't make sense. Dementors are technically extinct; they were all destroyed. And they haven't been sighted since the destruction of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. And now suddenly they're attacking a pair of demigods? That's strange."

"Why?" Percy asked. "You said they feed off happiness and hope and stuff; so maybe they weren't really destroyed completely, and now they've come back to… to… uh… to take revenge!"

"No," Lily said thoughtfully, "Dementors aren't intelligent or organized enough to do something like that. Most likely, they're taking orders from someone else, someone or something powerful enough to get the Dementors to do its bidding. And I'm guessing someone or something that doesn't like the two of you very much."

I shrugged, and Percy said, "Huh. I can think of at least ten people who don't like me very much – off the top of my head."

"I'm not very loved either," I added, and Lily gave me a look that clearly said, _'I can see why.'_ The idiot.

"But what did you guys think the Dementor was? Like, it's not every day you get attacked by a monster," she asked suddenly.

"Uh… You see," Percy answered, "It kinda is."

"Explain," she demanded.

"Annabeth?" he looked at me, "You know I'm useless at explanations."

"Okay…" I sighed, and then began to talk. "You know those old stories about Greek gods and stuff? Like Zeus, and Athena, and Hades?"

"Well, yeah," Lily nodded cautiously. "We learnt about them in Muggle Studies last year. But aren't they like just legends to explain stuff? Before, you know, science?"

"No. They're real, and alive. And see, the thing is, they kind of follow Western Civilization around, living in the strongest countries, so like now they're in the U.S. And sometimes they have kids with mortals. Kids called half-bloods. Kids like me and Percy." I paused to let that sink in then I continued.

"A long time ago, a prophecy was made, and it warned about a half-blood child of the Big Three – Zeus, Hades, or Poseidon – the next one who lives to the age of sixteen. So Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades swore a pact after World War II not to have any more kids. The next child of the Big Three who reaches sixteen will be a dangerous weapon."

"Why?" she asked.  
"Because that hero will decide the fate of Olympus. He or she will make a decision that either saves the Age of the Gods, or destroys it. And the entire fate of the Gods and Mont Olympus would rest on his shoulders. This was too much of a burden for any hero to carry, and besides, too much was at stake. So the three of them decided not to have any kids with mortal women."

"I see," Lily nodded. "But they broke the pact, didn't they?"

"Yes. Well, at least Zeus and Poseidon did. Zeus had a girl named Thalia, and Percy is Poseidon's son," I clarified. "But Thalia chose to become a Hunter of Artemis the day before her sixteenth birthday; and when you become a Hunter, you become immortal, unless you fall in battle. Anyway, Thalia joined Artemis and her Hunters, so she would never become sixteen. So now, Percy's the only one who the prophecy could be about; meaning he has more than his fair share of enemies; monsters and god – oh, and Dementors and who knows what else? So, that means that a good amount of time we spend being hunted or chased by monsters and the like."

"Oh, what a horrible life!" she said, probably trying to sound sympathetic, but it came out more sarcastic than sympathetic.

"Hey, we were both considering suicide a couple of minutes ago. Don't refresh the memory," Percy said, grinning, at the same time as I snapped indignantly;

"We get used to it! And besides, we train for that kind of stuff!"

I shot Percy a withering look. "And I was _not_ considering suicide!" _Okay, I was, but no one needed to know that._

Lily looked intrigued. "You train?"

"Yes," I answered, glad to rub something in her face. "There's this place where we're taught, well, how do I say this… we're taught the skills of survival. Like sword fighting, and archery, and riding, and things like that. There are some who stay there only for the summer; and there are the year-rounders, who stay there all year long. It's the safest place on Earth for us demigods. It's called Camp Half-Blood."

"We have something like that too, in the wizarding world. But it's a school, not a camp. It's called Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Percy suppressed a smile. "Nice name."

"What, you have a – wait a second, what did you say your camp was called?" she asked.

"Camp Half-Blood," Percy replied.

"Seriously?" she said, suddenly looking excited. "It can't be a coincidence…"

"What?" I asked.

"I've been looking for that place; Camp Half-Blood, right? Yea, I've been looking for weeks. But it's not anywhere on the maps, and everybody I ask just stares at me like I'm out of my mind! But you guys know where it is?"

"Well, yea, but, uh, why exactly are you acting like you won the jackpot or something?" Percy asked.

"Because, that's why I came here in the first place!" she said, then added after seeing the perplexed looks on our faces; "Well, I'd better explain."

"Okay. For a while now, Dark creatures back home have been stirring; waking up. Things that haven't been around since Voldemort was killed. The incident today with the Dementor was only one of many strange happenings. My father and the Ministry have been investigating, but they couldn't find out much; other than that something bad was going to happen to a place called Camp Half-Blood. It didn't sound like a Muggle town or city, but we assumed it to be, because it wasn't anywhere in the magical world."

"Kronos! It has to be," he said and I nodded grimly. Who else could it be? The Titan Lord, who had been chopped up into a million pieces after the Olympians won the battle against the Titans, was coming back. Since he was immortal, the Olympians weren't able to kill and had tossed him into Tartarus to stay there forever. But slowly, with the help of Luke, our old enemy, he was gaining strength and power once again, his pieces coming back together.

"Who?" Lily asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I hastily explained. As I talked, a couple of street lights flickered on, and I could see the girl more clearly. She was petite, probably a couple of inches shorter than me, with long super straight strawberry blonde hair that was almost red, and intelligent bright blue eyes. I have to admit; Lily was pretty, but I really hoped Percy didn't think so – I mean, not that I cared or anything.

"Oh, that's bad," she whistled, when I finished my explanation.

"Yea, pretty bad," Percy agreed. "I think it's just about as –

A loud whistle suddenly pierced the quiet of the night. "What was that?" I asked, feeling for my dagger.

Percy instinctively uncapped Riptide, and it immediately grew into a three foot long celestial bronze sword, shining in the dark. In the same moment, Lily drew her wand and whirled around. There was nothing. We all let out a breath, but stayed frozen, listening intently for any sound.

"Nice sword, half-blood," Lily said finally, breaking the silence.

Percy grinned. "Nice stick, witch," he replied.

"Yea, could kill your sword anyday," she said, smirking.

"Really? I wouldn't be two sure about that. This sword is made out of celestial bronze."

"This wand is made out holly and phoenix feather," she answered.

"Oh, good. I think it would be easy enough to slice in half, wouldn't it?"

"Excuse me? Using this wand, I can kill you in a dozen different ways before you get close enough to touch it!" she countered.

I was only partially listening to them. That whistle had sounded familiar, for some strange reason. Not like a bird call or something, but like a person's whistle. Unsettled, I turned to Percy and Lily.

"Something was strange about that whistle," I said, "I'm going to go have a look around, okay?"

"Why?" Percy asked, "It's probably nothing, Annabeth. A bird, maybe."

"No, I'll be right back."


	2. We Head For Camp

**CHAPTER 2**

My dagger gripped tightly in my hand, I walked away, looking around warily. Percy and Lily returned to their wand vs. sword argument.

"Can that stick do anything that a shield can't block? No, I don't think so," Percy said.

"Well, what can your sword do against a gun?" Lily demanded.

Their voices drifted away as I emerged from the alley we had been in. Cautiously, I continued forward, alert for danger. A homeless old man walked by and I nearly shrieked. But there was nothing unusual. Maybe it was nothing, I thought doubtfully, I'd better go back before Percy and that girl decide to fight it out and see which weapon was more powerful.

Sheathing my dagger and turning, I was about to head back, when suddenly a hand was slapped across my mouth from behind, and my arm was twisted behind my back, and I heard a familiar voice whisper in my ear; "I'm going to let you go now; _don't_ scream."

As soon as she let go of me, I spun around. In front of me stood a tall girl with spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. She was wearing a black leather jacket over her completely punkish outfit. A beautiful silver circlet was placed on her head like a princess's crown, which didn't match her skull earrings or her baggy black shirt and skinny jeans.

"Di immortales!" I cried in astonishment, hugging her hard, "Thalia! We've missed you so much!" I was so happy to see her, I couldn't even be mad at her for almost giving me a heart-attack.

She hugged me back tightly. "How's it going, Annabeth?" she said, laughing. "I had to wait until you put the knife away. I know what you can do with it."

"How _are_ you?" I asked, "Oh, wait a second; is something wrong?"

"Oh no, not at all," she replied, "What, I can't come to just say 'hi'?"

"No that's not what I meant –

"Yea, I know," she grinned, "I was just walking around. I needed some time for myself. Kind of hard to have time for yourself when you lead a band of 20 teenage girls." Thalia smiled wistfully. Thalia is the leader of the Hunters of Artemis. "I heard you're voice so I thought maybe I could drop by. I mean, it's been ages. But then I saw you had company, so I tried to get your attention. I wanted to talk to one of you alone."

"And then, you almost gave me a heart attack," I accused, but I noticed how Thalia didn't ask what we'd been doing outside at midnight with a strange girl. I appreciated that. I mean, I wouldn't know how to explain. Good thing Thalia is not a nosy sort of person.

"Oh, sorry about that," she said, but she didn't look sorry at all.

"Yeah, I _thought_ I recognized the whistle," I said.

"Yeah, that was me. So how's life, Annabeth? Killed any monsters lately?"

I considered telling her about the Dementor, but decided against. Now, with Kronos rising, the Hunters probably had enough monsters to worry about. Me and Percy would find a way to deal with them. I shook my head. "Not really, you?"

"Yup, you can't believe how awesome it is to be with Artemis. By the way, are you sure you didn't change your mind about joining, Annabeth? Cause you know we'll always have a place for you." It struck me how much stronger she looked now that she'd stopped aging. You could almost see a silvery glow around her – the blessing of Artemis.

A while ago, I had actually considered joining the Hunters, but I had decided against. Artemis is still trying to get me to join. I shook my head firmly. "Nah, but thanks for offering, Thalia."

"Why?" she asked, then raised her eyebrows knowingly. "Oh… Percy. I see…"

I blushed. "Shut up, Thalia." You see, when you become a Hunter, you basically have to give up the company of boys, and well… I'm the main reason Percy isn't dead right now. "Speaking of Percy, though, he'll be upset he didn't get to talk to you."

"Yeah, I was hoping to have a word with him too. Oh well, I'll come around soon. Say hi to him for me, will you Annabeth? And tell him to try and not kill himself. I mean, he can last for a couple of years, right?" she was talking about the prophecy, but she was just joking. I smiled. "And take care of him, Annabeth. He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"I'll tell him," I promised. "But you're leaving now?"

"Yeah, my Hunters wake at dawn, and these are very busy days," she said gravely.

"Alright, then. Bye, Thalia," I hugged her one more time. "And good hunting."

You too, Annabeth, goodbye." Then she turned and disappeared into the darkness of an alleyway, leaving me feeling pleased but just a tiny bit depressed too.

I stood there for a moment, thinking about Thalia and how great it would be if she was still with us, then pulled my jacket closer around me and headed back into the alleys.

"… listen here, Percy or whatever your name is! A sword is just a sword, no matter what is was made from! There is no way in hell that you're stupid little sword could compare to my wand, which is in fact, not _just_ a stick, but an instrument that is used to channel a wizard or witch's magic… I didn't ask for a definition, Li-ly… Whatever… You know what? You think your stick is so great? Just try one little thing and you'll see what my 'stupid little sword will do to you!"

Zeus! What was wrong with these two? I thought, following the sound of raised voices to the nook where Percy and Lily were. They'd kept this stupid argument up all this time.

I cleared my throat, when I came into view and put my hands on my hip. They didn't even acknowledge me.

"Uh, excuse me? I know this issue is probably very important to both of you, but could you just shut up and stop arguing for a second. This is not the time, or the place. We have better things to worry about," I scolded.

"Oh," Lily looked at me, "we weren't arguing, we were having a civil discussion, while waiting for you to come back, so we could head over to that camp, right, um, Percy?"

"Yeah, absolutely…" Percy said to me, then turned to Lily, "We were?"

"Yes, we were," Lily answered with a roll of her eyes. "I just need to write a letter fast to let my dad know what I found out and stuff. Oh, by the way, did you find the thing that made that sound?"

"Oh, no, there wasn't anyone around. Maybe it was a bird or something," I lied, shrugging.

"Told you," she answered, as she pulled out a clipboard and a – a _quill_ from the sack she was wearing on her back and began scribbling.

"Lily," I began, "We would really appreciate if you don't mention anything about, you know, us… or our – family tree, you know what I mean?"

"Yea, sure don't worry. I'm just saying how I found the place and I'm going in to investigate. Could you hold the inkpot for me please?" she mumbled.

"Okay," I took it from her. "Why do you write with a quill? Wouldn't it be easier to write with a pen or pencil?"

"This is a spell checking, smart answer quill. My Uncle George got me it for my last birthday. I prefer writing with it for some reason," she responded.

"Oh cool. Ask him to get me one the next time you see him, k? Trying to read those questions in tiny print on a test paper is the worst; you know, cause I have dyslexia. It would be so cool to have your pen write down the answers for you," I grinned.

"Yea, I won't forget," She smiled back at me. You're dyslexic?" she didn't ask it in a rude way, surprisingly, just curiously. Maybe Lily wasn't that bad.

"Yeah," I replied, "I have ADHD too. That's not necessarily a bad thing though."

"How so?" she asked, still scratching away with her magical quill.

"Usually, the ADHD is a demigod's battle reflexes, and the dyslexia is the way our brain is "hardwired" for Ancient Greek, not English," I explained.

Interested, Lily looked up from her writing. "You can read Ancient Greek?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, all demigods can," Percy answered for me.

"Oh. My. God! That is so cool. You should, like, work in a museum or something," she said, looking impressed.

"I would bore myself to death working in a museum," Percy said, squatting next to me and Lily.

"Okay," Lily said, getting up and taking the ink pot from me. She put the inkpot and the quill back in her bag and folded the paper into quarters. Then she started rolling it up, until it was just a small, thin cylinder. "This is embarrassing, but you'll see." She took a deep breath, cupped her hands around her mouth and gave a loud hoot. Percy and I burst out laughing. "Shut up both of you. Just wait." she said.

Then I heard the slight flutter of wings and I looked up to see a pair of big amber eyes glowing in the dark. The owl glided down from a nearby tree and settled on Lily's shoulder. Immediately, I recognized the bird as a Northern Saw-whet Owl. The Northern Saw-whet Owl is a very small short-bodied Owl even in adulthood; this one was not much larger than a big finch or sparrow, but young were identifiable by the white fluff between their eyes. Under the light, I could see the owl's fluffy reddish-brown plumage and spotted back. Its eyes were particularly striking; large and bright yellow-orange. I wondered what it was doing there though. Northern Saw-Whet Owls are found mostly in North America, around southern Alaska and Canada... _and _they usually live in areas away from settlement.

"Oh my god," Lily said, breaking into my thoughts. I noticed both Percy and Lily were staring at me weirdly. "How did you know?"

"Huh?" I said, then I realized I had been thinking out loud.

Percy and Lily exchanged an amused glance, and I wondered what was so funny. "It's so not normal to know that much about owls, like, seriously that's freaky, Annabeth."

"Yea," Percy agreed.

"Owls are the symbol of Athena, because you know, she's the goddess of wisdom and all, so I know a couple of stuff about them."

"A couple of stuff? I bet you know his scientific name!" she exclaimed.

"Aegolius acadicus," I replied automatically, then laughed at the expression on their faces.

"Freak," Lily rolled her eyes.

"That owl's yours?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's name's Kasper."

"Nice name. He's adorable. Can I touch him?"

"Yeah, he's friendly enough."

I stroked the tiny owl's feathers. "Okay, stop." Lily held it firmly and swiftly attached the piece of paper to its right talon with a length of string.

"The Ministry, Kasper. Department of Magical Law Enforcement or the Auror Department. You, know, My dad or Hermione," she instructed the owl, as though he could understand; well, he probably could. Then she released him. He circled twice over us, then soared away.

"Who's Hermione?" I asked.

"Oh, she's a family friend. She works in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She's a real brainiac like you. You remind me of her, actually," she smiled to herself. "You should totally meet her. She would love you."

"Oh, um, that's nice."

We were silent for a while after that. Finally, I broke the silence. "Okay, nice knowing you, Lily, but me and Percy gotta go right now. We have to tell Chiron and the rest of the camp about the Dementors and strengthen our defenses, so bye."

She gave me icy stare that would've melted stone. "Um, noo… I don't know where you got that version of things. Let me tell you what's really gonna happen. You and Percy are going to take me to this camp to see if I can find out why the Dementors are suddenly waking up, and to protect the camp from individual surprise attacks, since I can fight the Dementors. Then; when I have some idea of what's goin' on, I'm going to call in my dad and Hermione to put some safety spells over this camp. Right? Right. Now, let's get going." She shouldered her backpack and smiled stiffly at me.

"But –

"You know that's a very good plan, Annabeth, just admit it," she put her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes. There was a dangerous challenge in her piercing blue eyes. I had the feeling that she wasn't just doing this for us, that she had an ulterior motive. I decided to drop it. We could use her help anyway.

"Alright, okay. But one thing. Who are you? I mean, who are we gonna say you are?"

"You two look pretty normal to me, so I think I can pass for a demigod or whatever, right?" she said, shrugging.

"Yeah, maybe," I said, doubtfully.

"Okay, that's cool. So, we're settled? Let's go then." I sighed, conceding, and wondered what I was getting myself into. She started for the entrance of the alley and Percy and I trailed behind her. So much for my nap, I thought wearily.


	3. We Race a Monstrous Snake

**CHAPTER 3**

"So," Lily asked eventually, after we had been wandering down the street for about 5 minutes. "How do you get to this camp place, again? It's walking distance, isn't it?"

"Haha, no, it's not," I corrected, "We're on 86th Street Transverse Road in Manhattan, _no_where near Camp Half-Blood."

"Oh, bloody hell," she said, "I suppose you know how to get there though, right?"

"Yeah," I shrugged, "But it's a good two-hour drive by car, no traffic. And that's _if_ we get a car."

"Oh, that's not a problem," she said, walking briskly towards a man in a business suit coming out of a pub. The man looked rich, but drunk, and he was headed for his car. I followed her. I could guess what she was going to do. "I'll deal with that," she said.

Lily pulled out her wand from her back jeans pocket. He still hadn't noticed her. When he took at his car keys to automatically open the car door, she pointed the wand at him, squared her shoulders, and yelled; "Stupefy!"

The bluish-white burst of light hit the man square in the back, probably burning a hole in his expensive pinstripe suit. Immediately, he stiffened and fell forward with a sickening thud. Ouch. That must have hurt. I looked away and saw Lily wince.

"Okay," she said, walking over to the unconscious man and grabbing the keys from his stiff hand. "Now we have a ride."

"Yeah," I said, still disturbed by what I had just seen Lily do. _But it was necessary,_ I tried to convince myself.

"So, who's driving?" Lily asked, "Not me, cause I ain't ever been in a Muggle car before."

"Not me either," I said, "I been living in the camp since I was seven, so I've never tried driving either."

"Percy?" We both turned toward him.

"Yeah, alright. I'll drive, I've tried a couple of times, and I think I can manage it," he agreed, grinning wickedly. Now, under any – _any _– other circumstances, I would never trust Percy to drive me to a MacDonald's a block away, forget all the way to Long Island, New York, where the camp was situated.

"But you're just going to leave that guy lying there like that?" Percy asked Lily.

"No, you two have to help me drag him to a corner where he won't be seen very easily. And don't worry, the spell will wear off eventually. "So come on, hurry up."

I followed her and we lifted (or actually, me and Percy lifted; Lily stood over us shouting orders) to an alleyway and propped him against the wall there. I felt bad for leaving him unconscious there, but Lily insisted, she said that we didn't want the police after us too fast.

We headed for the car, and I noticed for the first time that it was a sleek, polished BMW.

"Shoot," I said, at the same time as Percy whistled, and Lily said, "Sweet."

"Think how inconspicuous we'll look," I said, shaking my head, when they both looked at me inquiringly. "A bunch of kids driving alone in a car? Bad. A bunch of kids driving alone in a _BMW_? Very bad."

"Whatever," Lily said, "There's nothing we can do about it now. And besides, how was I supposed to know? I told you; I've never even been in a Muggle car before."

"Seriously?" Percy asked. "So how do you guys get around in your wizard world or whatever?"

"We apparate, or go by the Floo Network, or by broom," she answered, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Broom?" Percy asked in disbelief, and he burst out laughing. Even I couldn't hide the smile that was spreading on my face. I was just starting to accept the fact that I was hanging out with a witch, but a broom riding witch? Seriously? Next, she's going to be telling us she brews potions in a cauldron, and wears a pointy hat at home.

"What's so funny?" She gave us both a dirty look, and I thought, _'Boy, can she really give those looks.'_

"Get in the car. Percy, you're driving. Annabeth, you ride in the front with him, and keep a lookout for police and/or monsters."

"And Lily, you sit in the back and enjoy the view," I snapped. "Would you stop throwing about those orders like you're in charge here?"

"I don't know what your problem is," she said to me, and I ignored her. I slipped into the passenger seat, admiring the plush leather seats. Oh well, at least we're travelling in style.

Lily was silent as she climbed into the car, and she was gazing around fascinated. I remembered that it was her first time in a car.

"Hey, Lily," I said, "Life's all about new experiences, isn't it?"

She chose not to respond to that. "Directions, Annabeth?" Percy asked.

"Head east on this road toward 85th St Transverse, then continue onto 85th St Transverse, turn right at 5th Ave, turn left at E 59th St, turn right at 2nd Ave. Then turn left at I-495 E –

"Wait a second, let me write this down," he said.

I repeated it for him while he scribbled it down, and then everyone was silent.

Percy turned up the heat in the car and I leaned back in the seat, the heat making me drowsy. Eventually, I drifted off to sleep. I don't know how long I was sleeping, or where we were at the time, all I know, is that in the middle of a very pleasant dream (those were rare when you're a demigod. You get more than your share of nightmares, but pleasant dreams were hard to come by), a terrified shout from Percy jolted me awake. My eyes snapped open, and I saw Percy spin the wheel frantically, his face white as a sheet, and the car swerved off the middle of the road.

"Percy! What's wrong?" I asked, shaking him, as the car picked up speed.

"Percy!" I yelled. He wasn't answering. His face pale as death, he was staring fixedly on the road.

"Percy, damn it! Slow down!" Lily shouted from the back of the car, and I turned to look at her. She was clutching her hands to her stomach and she looked like she was about to puke.

"Can't," Percy said through clenched teeth. The car was going crazy now, zigzagging all over the road and going well over 100 km/h. I clenched the armrest so tightly my knuckles turned white. "Look. Behind. You."

I turned a second after Lily, and I heard her ear-piercing shrieks a second before I screamed too. The giant hooded head of a disproportionately large King Cobra was bearing down on our car, pure evil glinting in its black eyes.

Lily shrieked again, her voice was so loud, my ears were ringing. I saw Percy wince, and I closed my eyes tightly for a second, trying to get myself under control.

"What is that?" she screeched, her voice growing more and more high-pitched, and she had a wild, crazed look in her eyes. I felt sorry for her. I was used to this kind of stuff, and I was terrified out of my mind.

'_How do I always manage to get into these kinds of situations?_' a part of me thought distantly. _'This is so not what I had in mind when I decided to come and visit Percy for the winter break.'_

The car veered away from the sidewalk so fast, the tires squealed in protest. We sloshed through the half-melted snow on the road, splattering mud everywhere. I looked into the rear view mirror and saw a glop of mud hit the snake in the eye. It slowed down a little, uncoordinated, then continued after us, its forked tongue flitting in and out hungrily.

Percy pushed his foot down harder on the accelerator, and the speed indicator pinged. We were going at 125 km/h. My heart hammered in my chest, and I thought, _this is it, we're dead. _

Now, this is the thing with near death experiences, if they don't kill you they make you stronger. I tried to keep this in mind, as my brain struggled to come up with some kind of plan to get us out of this mess. I'm the daughter of Athena, I thought to myself vehemently, I _always _have a plan.

Okay, first step, assess the situation. I forced myself to turn back, and immediately regretted it. The monstrous snake was close, and still gaining, and I was filled with a sense of despair. It moved unnaturally fast for such a large creature, bunching up its body, then thrusting it forward. _How, how,_ I thought desperately, _How the Hades can it move so fast?_

But even in my panicked state, my mind provided me with answers. The key to snakes' agility - hundreds of vertebrae and ribs - is closely related to the key to their locomotion: ventral scales. These specialized rectangular scales line the underside of a snake, corresponding directly with the number of ribs. The bottom edges of the ventral scales function like the tread on a tire, gripping the surface and propelling the snake forward.

I could barely see out the window. The car was traveling so fast, the wheels putting up waves of muddy slush on either side of the car. Another, bigger, glop of mud hit the snake in the eye, and it reared, momentarily muddled.

"Confuse it!" I yelled to Percy.

His instincts – probably the ADHD kicking in – were fast. Immediately, he turned so sharply onto a side road, I was positive we left skid marks. Lily let out a shriek from the back of the car.

"Please; let me know before you do something like that again," she gulped, still looking queasy.

"We have about 8 seconds before the snake comes after us again," I said, in a level voice.

"Yeah," Percy looked at me; and I saw his face was beaded with sweat, even though tonight, the temperature was below freezing. "So we ditch the car?"

"No," I shook my head, "The car is our best chance once the monster comes after us again."

"So keep driving," Lily screeched. Clearly her fear of the snake outweighed her fear of carsickness.

Percy hit the accelerator hard, and we sped up again with a squeal of the tires. I glanced up at the rear view mirror and saw that the snake was back on our tail. And it was mad.

"Speed up, Percy," I said through clenched teeth.

"I can't," he replied. "The engine's already heated up so much. These sub-zero weather conditions aren't too good either. I go any faster, and the whole car's going to go up in flames."

Then Percy made the mistake of looking into the rear-view mirror. Seeing the snake's dilated red pupils enlarged in the mirror made him lose it completely. He was so horrified, his foot unintentionally came down hard on the pedal, and the car skidded in the muddy, half-cleared snow, and went out of control.

"_Aaaahhhhhhhh!" _the three of us screamed, terrified, and Percy grasped the steering wheel tightly. The car spun a full 180 on two wheels only, and then continued skidding. We crashed into the street barrier with so much momentum we were almost thrown over it. The impact threw Lily forward, the seatbelt choking her; and my body slammed backward into the seat, jarring my insides.

The BMW saved our lives. Had it been any other car, we would've been road kill. But the BMW had a strong structure, and the crash only caused a huge dent on the left side of the car.

After the car crashed into the barrier, we came to a sudden halt. Percy stepped on the accelerator, again and again, harder and harder, his fear and frustration growing.

"It won't start," he said to me, and I stared back at him, eyes widened with fear.

"Lily, you all right?" I asked. She was crying, her sobs racked her body.

"We're going to die," she stared at me through eyes glazed with shock. "It's gonna get us. Why did I come here?" she whimpered.

"No, you're not, Lil', I promise," My heart went out for the girl. I turned in my seat and put my arm awkwardly around her shoulders. "Come on, we have to get her out of here." I said to Percy, but he wasn't listening.

"Annabeth," he said, "Annabeth. Annabeth!" His voice rose and he grabbed my shoulder and shook me, hard.

"What?" I asked.

He turned to me and grinned ecstatically, the smile lighting up his whole face. "Annabeth, look! We made it! The camp!" He gestured wildly with his hand, and I followed his hand. My eyes widened, and a smile broke out on my face. The sleeping camp looked so welcoming, completely unaffected by the snow and cold conditions, in its own magical bubble of safety. The Golden Fleece hung on the tree in front of the entrance, and the young dragon that was guarding it was sound asleep, tendrils of smoke coming out of its nostrils.

"Come on! We can make it!" Since my door couldn't open, I reached over Percy and opened his. I practically shoved him out of the door. I followed, and wrenched opened the back door, pulling out a shaking but grateful Lily. I didn't look back, I just screamed run, and we ran.

Man, we ran. It's amazing how fast you can run when there's a monstrous snake after you. Even Lily threw off her long fur coat, abandoning it and running.

In a streak of madness, I grabbed it off the ground and hurled it at the monster's face. I don't know why I did it, for it didn't help much, only served in making the beast angrier. I took one look at the snake, then turned and ran for my life.

It was a close call, but we managed to beat the snake. Percy and I ran through the entrance, but Lily collided with the invisible protection barrier, the camp's magical reinforcement that prevented anything besides half-bloods to enter. She stumbled and fell, and the snake's tail started to wrap around her. Percy started or the entrance but I pulled him back.

"I, Annabeth Chase, give you permission to enter the camp!" I yelled hysterically, but it was too late. She couldn't move. The snake had her in its grip, and was slowly squeezing the life out of her. Its jaws opened, and I saw its fangs, dripping with sacks of venom. A drop of that could kill her immediately. She already looked dead, going limp in the snake's coils.

Without thinking, I unsheathed my knife and hurled it straight into the beast gaping jaws. It reared, and the coils loosened. I prayed fervently that she would have the sense to get out while she could, but I knew it was a long shot.

Perhaps it didn't seem like it, but there was still life in Lily Luna Potter. She slipped out of the coils, but not before dislodging my knife from the beast's jaws. She collapsed threw the entrance, barely holding her weight. She dropped to her knees.

Lily handed me the knife. "Thought you might want this back," she said, then promptly fainted.

I looked back at the snake. It thrashed on the ground before the camp's entrance, butting it triangular head again and again against the magical wall. But the knife wound was fatal, and the monster it wasn't long before the monster disintegrated into dust. Percy turned to me, and looked at me passionately. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me, then he grinned and simply said; "Thanks, Smart Girl," then lay down on a patch of grass near Lily and closed his eyes.

"You're welcome, Seaweed Brain," I answered, and then gladly joined the other two.

I was asleep within seconds.


	4. Mr D Throws a Tantrum

**CHAPTER 4**

I was simply exhausted, so I must have slept for ages, but when I finally woke up, it was still dark. Was it possible that I had slept 24 hours? Then why didn't anybody… wait a second. Pushing myself up into a sitting position, I realized that I was no longer sleeping on the grass; I was in a bed – _my_ bed, to be precise. I was in the Athena cabin. A few rays of weak sunlight filtered through the closed blinds, and I realized it wasn't night time still, the lights were just closed. I got up and stretched, then went over and opened the curtains in the window.

I saw Lily still asleep in the bed next to mine, breathing softly. I looked around my cabin and was shocked. The beds were unmade, the bunks pushed against the wall. The workbenches were littered with sets of tools and weapons. The huge library in the back of the room was in complete disarray, and the architects drafting table, _my_ architect's drafting table, was covered underneath a bunch of rulers and protractors, and some 3D models of buildings. The maps hanging on the wall weren't even straight!

Now, I know the Athena cabin isn't known for neatness – that was more the Aphrodite kids' area – but I always made sure it was in a generally presentable state.

I shook my head, and, deciding to let Lily sleep a while more, I began to clean. I loved the cabin. Not only because it was the only real home I've ever known, but also because I love the way it looks. It has wallpaper the colour of the sky at twilight, a beautiful dark blue, that's enchanted to have flying owls in it (stroke of genius on my part). And the beds have satiny silver pillows and blue sheets.

Half an hour later, the room was acceptably tidy. I stood back, and looked around. Okay, not bad. I headed for the washroom and took a quick shower.

I looked through my wardrobe and realized that I had left my orange Camp Calf Blood shirt at home. Oh well. I hardly ever dress up, but I decided to give it a go this morning, since I was feeling particularly cheerful.

A couple of minutes later, I looked at myself in the mirror. I had put on a casual cropped black and white top over a pair of dark denim cut-off shorts and cuffed sandals. I grinned as I tied up my long blonde hair in a high ponytail. I should do this more often.

Lily began to murmur uneasily in her sleep, tossing restlessly. I didn't hear what she was saying, but I caught some of the words. _Not me... snake... Parseltongue... NO! NO!... please!... get away from me..._

I went over to her and shook her by the shoulder. "Wake up, Lily," I said.

She woke up with a jolt, sitting up so fast, she almost bumped her head into mine. "Where am I?" she blurted as soon as her eyes snapped open.

"You're in the Athena cabin," I told her. "Someone probably found us out there and carried us in. I just woke up half an hour ago myself."

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I see." She got up and stretched. "Where's the toilet?"

I gave her a weird look. "Washroom, you mean, right? Right down there," I answered. Lily grabbed a comb off the nightstand and headed for the washroom. A minute later, she poked her head out of the door and yelled my name.

"You got any clothes I can borrow, Annabeth?"

"Yeah, sure, check in my closet," I answered.

She did, but not in the typical way. She waved her wand and the door of the closet opened. Another muttered spell, and a tank top and jeans drifted to where she was standing behind the washroom door.

"Show off," I muttered, jealous despite myself.

About 10 minutes later, she emerged. "How do I look?" she asked, grinning and posing. She twirled her ponytail between her fingers.

She was wearing a breezy white tank top over a pair of faded skinny jeans. The brown flip flops on her feet weren't mine, so she must've had them in her bag.

"Fine," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"I'm famished," she groaned suddenly. "I haven't had something to eat for the longest time."

"Why don't you wave your abracadabra wand and make some food appear?" I asked sarcastically.

She gave me a cynical look.

I sighed. "Yeah, well, now that you mention it; I'm kinda hungry too," I said, rubbing my stomach. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows. "It's probably about lunch time right now so let's go get something to eat."

We left the Athena cabin, and I felt the onyx eyes of the carved owl that guarded the cabin follow us as we made our way to the dining pavilion.

Lily was still complaining about her growling stomach when we suddenly heard the sound of pounding hooves. I turned and saw Chiron, the camp director galloping toward us. I looked over my shoulder to see Lily's expression, but she didn't even look slightly surprised.

"Centaurs?" she asked. "That's pretty cool. I actually get along quite well with the centaurs back home."

He was nearing, and I pulled her back slightly and grabbed her arm. "Lily," I hissed though clenched teeth. "You're a regular girl who just found out she's a demigod, _not_ a witch. Therefore, you had no idea that centaurs existed up until this very minute. Look surprised or you'll ruin everything!" I finished as Chiron slowed to a walk.

"Annabeth," he called. "To what do we pay the honour of this rather unexpected visit?"

"Well –" I began but he cut me off.

"And you brought a friend as well," he said.

"Yeah. Lily, this is Chiron, camp activities director. Chiron; Lily," I nodded at Lily, noting with satisfaction that she was wearing an expression of feigned surprise.

"But – but – you're a… a – a horse!" she exclaimed, and if she hadn't just told me that she was used to this kind of stuff, I would've been fooled.

_Good actress,_ I thought.

"A centaur, actually, my dear," Chiron said with a glimmer of amusement in his dark eyes.

"This is just getting weirder and weirder. First I'm told that I' m a demigod and now I discover that centaurs are real. What next?" she said dramatically, waving her hands for the effect. I kind of thought she was laying it on a bit thick, but Chiron bought it completely.

"Don't worry, Lily, everything will be clear after you watch the orientation film," he said kindly.

"Yeah, I'll get her to watch it as soon as we've had something to eat," I said, "we're both starving."

"Alright, then. Normally, I would come along to introduce you to the rest of the campers, but I'm really busy right now, so if you don't mind…"

"Don't worry, Chiron," I said hastily, "I'll introduce her to everyone."

"Thank you, Annabeth," he said gratefully. "Now, I must be going."

"Okay, then –

"But one thing, Annabeth. I would like a word with you and Percy later on. Is that fine?"

Oh my gods. Does he know? What do I say if he –

"Annabeth?" Chiron's inquiring voice broke into my thoughts.

"Oh yes, sure," I said, biting back my irrational fear, and putting on a smile.

"Come on, Lily, let's go eat," I said, dragging her away.

As usual, there were dozens of kids in the dining pavilion, milling around, or sitting at their tables and eating. Of course, the kids at each of the tables all looked relatively similar – they _were_ siblings after all. I returned some greetings from my friends and cabin mates, who didn't seem surprised that I was back. I was usually a year-rounder, but last summer, Percy had convinced me to give my parents a second chance and stay with them for the year.

"You're going to sit there, at the Hermes table," I said indicating a table on the far left,

"Why? What if I don't want to?" she demanded.

"Because," I explained patiently, "you're undetermined right now. We sit according to our Olympian parent. And since Hermes is the god of travellers, you sit there and you live in the Hermes cabin until you're claimed by your parent."

She looked over to the full table and raised her eyebrows. "All these people are undetermined?"

"Well, yes. Sometimes the parents are too busy to claim their kids," I said with a shrug.

"O-kay…"

"Well, before we eat, I think I have to introduce you to somebody," I led her to the table in the middle of the pavilion.

The man sitting at the table was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt and shorts – yeah, I know what you're thinking; nice friendly surfer guy… well, not really. Mr. D has just about the worst temper in the world.

He was sitting alone at the table, sipping from a can of coke, seemingly deep in thought, because he didn't even look up as we approached.

I cleared my throat. No response.

"Sir?" I asked tentatively.

He looked up, the irritation clear on his face. "Yes, Annie Bell. You're back. Now what do you want?"

"Oh, I just wanted to introduce you to a new camper. Mr. D, this is Lily Potter."

"So, you even managed to bring another one with you. Oh dear," he heaved a great sigh. "Well, this is Camp Half Blood. Don't expect me to say welcome because you are most definitely not. Well, not by me, anyways."

"Excuse me?" Lily said indignantly.

"What?" he glanced up dangerously.

"I don't know what you have against me, but there's no reason to be so rude," she began.

"Listen here, Lola Peter," Mr. D said, standing, "I don't know where you came from, but here, I am the director of this camp – I don't want to be, but I am – so I call the shots around here and you behave, understand?"

"Yes," she said, taking a step back.

"Yes, sir," he snarled.

"Okay – sir," she said sarcastically, "But one thing, _sir_. My name is Lily Potter, not Lola Peter."

"I don't care, Lola," he said, sitting back down.

"Li-ly," she said, pronouncing her name slowly as though she was talking to a child.

"Annie Bell, would you take this annoying Lola girl out of my face?"

"_Annabeth_," Lily said, "Is he deaf or something?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. By now everyone had gathered around, watching from a distance, curious to see who it was that had managed to get on Mr. D's bad side. 12 seconds later (yeah, I counted), Mr. D exploded. He stood, his red rimmed eyes full of anger.

"I am an Olympian! I am more powerful than you can imagine, you impudent disrespectful girl. I can kill you in more ways than you can count before you even lift a finger; and you think I'm _hard of hearing_?"

"Touchy much?" Lily asked, but the haughtiness was gone from her voice, and I could hear the fear in it. She took a couple of steps back.

"You think so?" he asked, his voice now dangerously calm, "Well, let's see how touchy you are after a week of cleaning out the stables, Lola."

She didn't say anything. There was a moment of hushed silence before I spoke, trying to make my voice as timid as possible.

"Sir, uh, don't you think that's a bit harsh?"

"Is that so, Annie Bell?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "It is her first day after all. And it's really hard to clean the stables alone."

"Well, then you can help her out," he said in that same calm voice. I was sure I saw him hide a smile. "And make that two weeks, not one."

"But –

"That's enough, Annie Bell."

I didn't respond.

Daughter of Athena Rule # 1? Don't beg for something if you know you're not going to get it. Take it in silence.

And I know a lost cause when I see one. Mr. D wasn't going to change his mind

We turned to go, and at that moment Percy appeared pushing his way through the crowd. He was grinning from ear to ear and was holding a chicken drumstick in one hand and a slice of chocolate cake in the other.

"Hey, Annabeth; Lily," he said cheerfully. "Forgot how good the food at camp was. Enjoying the chow?"

"We never had anything to eat yet," I answered sourly.

"And I don't think we're going to be enjoying anything," Lily added, "since _apparently_, we have a whole load of horse poop to look forward to."


End file.
